LAC-MÉGANTIC — The tough hills surrounding this town of 6,000 are granite.

Lac-Mégantic was catapulted into the headlines Saturday when a runaway train, loaded with crude oil, exploded in the town centre, instantly killing at least 24 people, with 26 more missing and presumed dead.

The building of the regional government, called the Granit Municipal Regional County, was levelled.

So when Pauline Marois made a return visit to Lac-Mégantic, it meant something when resident Françoise Roy, pinned the “granite” label on the premier.

“The whole population thanks you and we call you the Granite Lady,” Roy told Marois.

Marois, after meeting Thursday morning with Lac-Mégantic Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche, was walking down a leafy street on her way to a news conference when there was a burst of applause from locals.

The premier and mayor, preceded by journalists, changed course to greet those cheering her.

“She took me in her arms and said, ‘We are here. We are all together,’ ” Roy recalled later.

“I did not expect that at all.”

What a contrast with Wednesday, when Ed Burkhardt, CEO and controlling shareholder of the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway, which owns the runaway train, received verbal abuse from locals.

At her news conference, Marois was asked what she thought of Burkhardt’s conduct after the explosion of an MMA train levelled much of Lac-Mégantic’s downtown core.

“It is absolutely deplorable in my opinion,” the premier said.

Burkhardt should have been “able to communicate better with the citizens, who have several questions, with the authorities, who also have several questions.”

Marois said Burkhardt and his company should contribute to rebuilding the town centre.

Asked whether Quebec might sue him for damages, Marois noted that three investigations are now underway — the criminal investigation by Quebec police, the coroner’s investigation and an inquiry by the federal Transportation Safety Board.

“The evaluation of the impact, of the whole catastrophe, has to be done and after that, if needed, there will be lawsuits,” she said.

There was more applause from locals, who stood behind reporters at the news conference, when Marois called the mayor, Roy-Laroche, a “courageous woman.”

“Yes, for the people who are watching, she deserves applause,” the premier said.

Marois, who first came to Lac-Mégantic on Saturday, hours after the train wreck, announced on Wednesday a $60-million first instalment in provincial funding to help the survivors and to rebuild the shattered town.

She repeated that she expects the federal government and private insurers to contribute as well.

Marois said Thursday she had to return to inform the mayor of details of the provincial funding and to see for herself how the efforts of her government and the Sûreté du Québec are going.

“I think I can say I speak in the name of all Quebec men and women who want to express to you their solidarity, their friendship, their sympathy,” she said.

“What I have seen, what I have been told in the updates I get two or three times a day, is that the work is going well,” Marois said, noting that the rescue effort is a 24/7 operation.

And she offered details about how the provincial funding would be made available, starting on Monday, when “an aid and information group,” managed by Quebec’s civil security service begins operations in Lac-Mégantic.

There will be a single address and phone number, to be announced before Monday, Marois said. The Red Cross has been managing the aid operation so far.

“Anybody who has a problem, who is profoundly affected by the events, and who needs help socially and psychologically, can go there and we will direct them to social services,” she said.

For businesses that have lost their stock, the premier said, “Someone will be able to respond. And the requirements will be very flexible.”

The money from Quebec for the municipality will offset lost property-tax revenues for two years and will pay for rebuilding destroyed infrastructure, such as roads, water mains and sewers.

“We have set everything in motion so that the community of Lac-Mégantic does not suffer, or at least suffers as little as possible,” Marois said.

About 620 households were evacuated as a precautionary measure and starting Monday, Marois said, each of those households will receive, “a cheque for $1,000 that doesn’t have to be paid back.”

To avoid a rush, people will be summoned street by street.

“It’s to cover the loss of food in the house, cleanup, whatever,” she said, adding that Quebec will also pay as much as $200,000 to replace homes that were destroyed and to furnish them.

“We are doing everything possible to ensure the response is adequate, efficient and immediate,” she said.

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